If you were hoping for more today… so was I! But my day was too busy and I didn’t make it to my sewing room until 10:20 p.m. I thought what can I do that I can use for a post tomorrow? I glanced up at that tiny micro check fabric and said, “Yes, I can make the fringed scarf to go behind Addy’s “brooch.”
I cut a rectangle and began to pull the threads out of it and then straightened it up on the lines so it was straight. Then I ran a needle and thread up through the middle of it and gathered it up… and next it was stitched to the dress.
I cut the pin part off the back of the brooch so it would lay closer to the fringed piece and hand stitched it on between the prongs of the brooch. It was much better this time and now the winner won’t have to worry about getting stuck by the end of the pin either.
I think it looks great under the brooch and hope you like it too.
I pulled Addy’s hair back and put it in a braid, but I might do something where her hair is left down… and I’m probably going to do that ribbon instead of a bonnet. I really didn’t want it looking like an Easter dress… although it could be. :o)
The snaps still have to be sewn down the back and then the dress will be completely finished…
Addy was pretty happy with me for doing this small thing to her dress! She said it was too plain before…
Now I just have to get my lighting right… and she’ll be ready for Christmas… well, almost…
Thanks everyone,
Have a wonderful weekend!
See you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
Isn’t it amazing what just one little touch will do to a garment?! That little fringed piece under the brooch was just the right touch, and makes such a difference to the total look of the dress!
Hm, maybe you should call it “Holiday Gold” or “Golden Holiday” or even “Holiday Jewel”, since it would work for a variety of celebrations.
Oh Jeanne, what a perfect touch to the dress! I can’t get over how much it changes things, not that they weren’t beautiful before, but gee whiz, what a difference a simple touch like that makes! Addy must be head over heels modeling that!
Yes, I do think a pretty bow would be best for her hair. I can see her by the Christmas tree, with a fire going in the fireplace, and waiting for guests to arrive!
As far as someone asked yesterday about the Estelle doll and Costco, here is what I know from AG Dollhouse, a blog I follow. Estelle was supposed to be a new historical doll for American Girl, but that idea was scrapped in favor of Courtney. Evidently the dolls were already in production, so they had those dolls be one of the several that Costco is selling as a ballerina, and in the stores now. She has long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and reminds me a lot of Caroline. She was supposed to be a 20’s Harlem Renaissance doll, with an interest in archaeology. Rumor has it, that they are going to do that over and have another doll represent the 20’s.
Jeanne, you mentioned yesterday that Rebecca and Karn won’t be coming for Christmas, but there is an opportunity for you and George to go visit THEM! And sister Cindy is close too, so you can visit both! It would be nice to see a bit of Rebecca’s new world and a chance to get away for a bit.
Thanks for the info, Linda. Interesting!!
Dear Linda,
Thanks to you and Laura for info related to the “Estelle” doll from AG/Costco. I don’t follow any other boards than Ruby Red, so this was helpful and interesting. In my comment below, I am writing the link to a post about these Costco dolls and if you scroll down, someone posted pics of all 4 ballerinas.
Hope you have been enjoying your weekend, and thanks again for your wonderful help here.
Sally
You now have so many good names for this outfit that you’ll have to make 2 more gold dresses just to use some of the suggested names. One for Felicity, one for one of your LDs, and one for a RRFF, and — how fast can you sew? — one for Nyssa. That’s more than 2. Red would also work for Holiday Glow — it’s only Nov. 6 — you have some time, and an extra few days until New Year’s — another time for festive clothes.
Your backing for the pin is perfect. That’s what I mean about the combinations of fabric and trims that make your dresses so special.
On another subject, I think respecting the wishes of children to share holidays on alternate years is a fine idea. Many families do this even when the families live in the same town.
And another: I have made friends through the blog by asking Jeanne to forward a request for their email address so they can feel free to respond if they’re interested in communicating on a more personal basis as Sally suggested yesterday. One could also post their own email address in their comments and people could respond if they’re interested in following each other.
Addy’s hair is lovely. Almost time to get her dress listed I think.
Finished with Halloween, and on to the holidays here. Found some fabric at Joann’s yesterday to make the bedding for grands RRFF girl. Also picked up some flannel for a nightgown. Kitty theme of course for that. 🙂
Hope everyone has a fun weekend. 🙂
Yes, that teeny bit of fabric certainly added to what was already a pretty dress. Taking the back off the pin was a good idea too so it lays nice and flat.
There are times having an email address would be fun.
Is it just me or the media getting everyone worried
about deliveries for Christmas is making me feel behind already!? I had to smile at a Facebook post that said “ Items stamped MADE IN AMERICA are not on a ship waiting to be unloaded” 😳
Making some table runners for each family this year so shouldn’t take long🥴
Enjoy the weekend!
Hi, Kathie,
No, we all should be worried about putting off shopping for the holidays.
The USPS is having trouble keeping help…here in Salida. Who wants to put in 11-12 hour days?? With broken down trucks, lack of truck drivers not just for them but for food and everything. Our store shelves are getting to look more like they did during early and heavy Covid. Things aren’t going to improve for quite awhile. No manufacturers can get parts/components from China in a timely way. Ships are clogging our ports and not enough people to to unload, not enough trucks to pick up. If you’re in construction, getting what you need to build is so expensive and long, long lead times to get the goods. And Covid is still clogging our hospitals.
No. It’s not scare tactics. It’s the honest truth.
Shop now, and if possible, shop locally. If doing mail order, shop NOW. Making your own gifts? Brilliant! 👍❤️
Addy’s dress is truly special. Makes me want to buy an Addy, if she were just smaller. It’s amazing what a difference just adding that fringe under the pin made to an already lovely dress. I really like that fabric. I agree that a hairbow is best. That always makes an outfit look so sweet.
You are fortunate if you can actually do an alternate holiday situation. One thing I learned after my two were married is to stay very flexible for holidays and keep expectations low. When Sean and Dionne lived next door they would always come to our house in the morning on Christmas Day and then leave for Dionne’s grandfather’s where all the relatives in the area would gather. It was a bit anticlimactic since it seemed they just arrived and then left again right after lunch to spend the rest of the day with her family but it was what it was. Then they moved and that set-up no longer worked so we did not see them at all Christmas day because her family has an expectation and if you want them to talk to you the rest of the year you’d better show up.
Since my birthday is the day after Christmas we opted to celebrate Christmas with Sean’s family and celebrate my birthday on the 26th. That worked the first year because Christmas was on a weekend, but the second year Dionne had to miss two days of work and so it looked like we would have to choose a weekend day before or after Christmas in the future. The first year we were having to decided that her grandfather and other family members decided to travel to Indiana and spend Christmas with family there. We got Christmas that year by default. Not sure what’s up for this year yet.
Thanksgiving is always up in the air depending on what Dionne’s family intends and they rarely keep to their plans so it’s hard to make others. One year we were invited to her grandfather’s for Thanksgiving dinner with her family. We know them all so that was fun. The next year they planned that but her grandfather had surgery so everyone went their separate ways that year. Sean and Dionne had just moved into their new home so they were glad to handle Thanksgiving that year but it was just the six of us.
As for our daughter in Loveland, CO. She and her husband and son do not usually travel on the holidays unless his parents guilt trip them, something I’m not good at and don’t want to be. So we do duo calls to celebrate with them. We try to do that when we’re with Sean’s family so it’s kind of like a family get together. Since we don’t fly, and driving to CO during the holiday time of year is kind of dicey weather-wise, we play it safe and visit at other times of the year. We did go one year at Thanksgiving but even with David’s expertise in driving in snow having lived in CO we had a few close calls. The one policy we’ve always had regarding David’s children when they were small and now ours as adults is to never put the kids in the middle. It meant turning the other cheek a lot on our part and in the end we still often ended up the bad guys with his kids (sadly encouraged by their mother), but it was the right thing to do and we still hold to that idea.
David is doing well. He is very much a morning person and I’m a definite night owl so our usual routine in the morning is that, unless he must leave, he endures staying at the house until I get up at 8:00. Then he gets my coffee, bids me farewell and heads for his shop. When that time rolls around now you can imagine how antsy he gets and it’s only been a few days.
Jeanne, I love the bow. You will be so happy when all your jobs are complete and you can get back to your happy place.
Susette, thanks for your idea re the e mail, I think it is a good one.
I have three of my children in Christchurch but my daughter’s in laws died many years ago (and didn’t like small children anyway) so she has always come to me at Christmas. Her husband doesn’t like us so prefers to spend the day in front of the TV (shouting at the kids if they make too much noise). My youngest son is on his own now but occasionally we have gone to his house for dinner, if not he comes here. My second son always does something with one or other of his in laws for lunch or dinner but we always go to his house for breakfast with bubbly. My eldest son lives in Melbourne and only very dire circumstances would see me there at Christmas. Not because I don’t love my son and his family (and they would love to see me then) but I have only been to Melbourne once in the summer and never again!! 43 degrees C was more than I could manage! Particularly when the grid gets overloaded and they shut off the power! My Mum always said ‘A son’s a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter’s a daughter the whole of her life’.
Sam and the children are planning to move in with me at the end of the month. They are all excited because I have said they can decorate the house as much as they want (as long as I don’t have to put the decorations up and take them down again lol). Greg doesn’t like Christmas and hates all decorations so they have only ever been allowed a Christmas tree and that under protest! I might have the most decorated house in the street this year lol
Well that was frustrating. I just wrote a fairly long comment and it disappeared So very sorry about that. I haven’t time now to write it all again sorry,
My e mail is annecoldron@outlook.com if anyone wants to know
I think it’s on there now, Anne
Your nice long post did show up, Ann! I guess it’s one of those “ain’t technology grand” moments!!
My comment disappeared as well and I can’t do it all over. My lone little kitty has a UTI and sudden tooth abscess that is keeping me busy. We’re not out of the woods yet. 🙁 If you noticed, I’ve been AWOL a few days.
Addy’s dress and crinoline are gorgeous, Jeanne and you know I love Civil War dresses. I will comment on it again,forgive me,but I wanted to reply to Sally’s question regarding Estelle since it is “historical” and I don’t have time for both
****************
Hi Sally,
I’ll have to abbreviate my response from what it was. Estelle (the blonde ballerina doll) was supposed to be the next historical set in the 1920’s. She was put on the back burner in favor of 1980’s Courtney. Estelle’s was to have an interest in archeology and animals and her collection probably would have been very interesting. Now we’ll never know.The ribbon and hairstyle on Estelle was part of her “Meet Estelle look”. i love physical archeology like when they found Solomon’s Temple. I don’t like the aspect of digging up tomb though at all. AG then went in a different direction and made the World by Us dolls. Apparently, this move caused Estelle to be completely scrapped and AG is planning a AA Harlem Renaissance doll to fill the 1920’s spot instead. Wish they could have done both as we need more historicals and two vantage points/ same decade like Molly/Nanea would have been neat.
There are some member on AG Dollhouse (the other doll board I’m on) that have bought the doll and are making their own collection for her. Personally, I don’t find her unique enough for my collection.
Btw, have you already seen the new RRFFs you were referring to? Without Poppets and Posies I will no longer have a reference site for the new dolls, but I bet you do and could let me know. Thank you!
Oh, I’m so sorry Linda, I didn’t see that you had answered Sally about Estelle and just did after I posted.
Dear Laura,
Many thanks to you and Linda for your thoughtful, detailed explanations relative to Estelle. Very helpful and interesting. I am pretty much out of the AG collecting these days, but it is fascinating getting some of these behind the scenes morsels. I never belonged to any AG platforms. Tried a long time ago and had a lot of trouble navigating them, so I gave up.
In my comment below, I am going to provide the link given to me to see the four ballerina dolls.
Do you use Facebook? It can get downright awful and ugly, but I like following a few RRFF sites. Fun pictures and some good information. The three I like most are:
-Happily Ever Afters Ruby Red Fashion Friends Page
-Ruby Red Fashion Friends Fanclub
-Ruby Red Fashion Friends-Global.
They have only posted the backside pics of two of the upcoming LEs. A red haired boy in a blue dress suit, and a girl in a dusty rose outfit similar to Anaelle’s with an updo, very dirty blond hair. There are supposed to be three LEs and one new doll for the basic line like Bella, Maya, Layla, Sara. Etc. Nothing said so far about new Siblies.
What has happened to Poppets and Posies? They are way behind in updating all the dolls so far. Doggone it! 😕
Hope your weekend has been good and joyful. Thanks again. 🙏🥰
Sally
Dear Jeanne et al.
Hope everyone has had a top notch weekend.
Jeanne, Addie’s gown is really killer awesome. Another feather in the cap which must be full of feathers by now. Watch out for “lifting off,” OK? Kidding!
Interesting Christmas stories. When the kids are grown and gone, most of us need to get creative and be flexible. It takes some getting used to, and making new traditions becomes nearly impossible with moving and in-family squabbles. So it goes. Bottom line, do what makes you happy with or without involving others. If someone can come by or you get invited out, even last minute, do it. We’ve got to make our own holiday happiness. Even staying home and playing the music we love, making a special meal, going for a drive to see lights and decorations, going to church. There is plenty to do to celebrate and be uplifted and uplifting.
OK…here is the link I was given to see the Costco/AG ballerina dolls.
https://www.americangirldollnews.com/post/american-girl-costco-exclusive-truly-me-sparkling-ballerina
I have no idea why that doesn’t show up in color. Sigh. If it works, just scroll down the comments and you will see a picture with all 4 boxes, 4 dolls. Good luck, and many thanks again to Laura and Linda about AG Estelle.
See you all again soon. ❤️
Sally